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News - Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls South Dakota USA |
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| Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota |
| Avera Transplant Institute Performs 500th Solid Organ Transplant |
| Date : - 17/09/2008 |
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The Avera Transplant Institute is proud to announce that its medical team has performed its 500th solid organ transplant at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls.
"This is a significant milestone, marking experience and a proven track record in organ transplant," said Beth Plahn, transplant director at the Avera Transplant Institute, part of Avera McKennan.
Within the Avera Transplant Institute are two main divisions - solid organ transplant and bone marrow transplantation. The Avera Transplant Institute was founded 15 years ago in 1993 as the first organ transplant program in the state of South Dakota, with the first kidney transplant being performed in July of that year. Pancreas transplant was added to the solid organ transplant program in 2003, and is the only pancreas program in the state.
As reported by www.USTransplant.org, organ transplants at Avera McKennan result in outcomes that are expected or better than expected. The Avera Transplant Institute is a member of UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that once again, Avera McKennan has earned the 2008 Medal of Honor for Organ Donation. This medal is awarded to hospitals that have achieved at least a 75 percent organ donation rate in a consecutive 12-month or greater period. Avera McKennan is one of approximately 400 hospitals nationally to receive this medal. Avera McKennan has received the award annually since the award's inception in 2005.
"These hospitals have played a critical role in ensuring that thousands of people with end-stage organ failure have the opportunity to receive a second chance at life," said Elizabeth Duke, administrator for the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration.
Avera's solid organ program has eight nephrologists and two transplant surgeons as well as numerous consulting physicians and professional staff with 15 years experience in transplantation relative to their respective specialties.
Since 1996, the Avera Transplant Institute has served as the only state and regional provider of bone marrow transplantation, a life-saving treatment for certain types of cancer, such as leukemia. The bone marrow transplant program was launched in 1996, and has since performed 226 autologous and allogeneic transplants. Autologous donations involve re-infusing the patient's own bone marrow, whereas allogeneic transplants involve bone marrow from another donor. The program is three physicians strong, and is fully accredited by FACT, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, for both autologous and allogeneic transplants.
The Avera Transplant Institute's program continues to grow as steps are taken toward liver transplantation. In 2007 Avera recruited the state's first and only hepatologist to develop the Avera Center for Liver Disease, a medical practice entirely devoted to liver disease. This practice has seen 350 new patients in its first year of existence. The next step in the process is recruitment of a third surgeon experienced in liver transplant to add depth to the current staff of two transplant surgeons, who are qualified in kidney, pancreas and liver transplantation.
"We are extremely proud of our expert transplant team. Avera McKennan has made a significant and long-term investment in the health of South Dakotans by building a program where people can receive the vital treatment they need, right here at home. We continue to build on this long-standing and successful commitment to transplant services," Plahn said.
For more information, please see www.AveraTransplant.org.
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| Reference : - www.mckennan.org |
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